The First Casualty
by MikeRayburn2481
Summary: the Battle of Jabiim is turning into a massacre of the Republic's best, including maybe its brightest light in Obi-Wan Kenobi. And yet no one knows it is happening. That is something Mira Lendix of RHN cannot abide, and she sets out to uncover the truth of the Republic's war effort under threat from forces she could not imagine
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Mira Lendix looked at the script on her datapad; "On Jabiim, full scale civil war with the separatists in control of most of the Jabiimi militia. Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, have just made planetfall. That makes 10 Jedi on Jabiim". She clenched an excited fist and just as quickly unclenched as the rest of her repoter's message scrolled across; "Jedi are asking that we hold all reports concerning Jabiim until they have assessed whether Separatists are in contact with the Confederation". _Stang!_

She dropped the datapad and began pacing the newsroom at RHN, Republic Holo-Net. The first six months of this war had been nothing but a giant frustration for the media. Alliances shifted faster than play in a game of skyball, with governments declaring for one polity, only to be overthrown by dissident members of their own government, who then declare for the other. She, like everyone, was still waiting for this war to begin following some form of order. Besides that, Jabiim was a story. The vast majority of the ninety or so fronts opening up across the Republic were being contested by droids and clones, two combatants the public couldn't give a bantha's backside about. But on Jabiim, you had flesh and blood soldiers so fed up with the Republic they were willing to risk their lives. You had Jedi, including a team of masterless Padawans, risking everything to keep a Republic together that many feel is no longer worth saving. Bottom line, she had to get this story to screen, because it wouldn't be long before reporters from GNS or HNN would get there.

Five days later she was running out of patience when her datapad signaled an emergency chime. She threw her caf down and held up a finger to her Rodian producer. She read the message as it came across the screen; "Confirmed engagement with Confederate military. Repeat: Confederate military already on Jabiim. Run the story."

Mira jumped out of her chair. "Bolla, clear block A".

The Rodian shrugged and muttered something under his breath in his native tongue. Something he didn't want Mira to hear. Something she knew would be about how easy she thought his job was. She didn't care at this moment. She looked back down at her datapad to confirm and saw the word "addendum", followed by words that rocked her back on her heels until she collapsed into her chair. "Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi believed KIA trying to evacuate clone troops from a downed walker".

Despite his complaints Bolla had cleared block A for Mira's new lead. She had spent two hours in the tech department finding the right image of a solemn Obi-Wan Kenobi to use as background. While there were few images of the famous Jedi Knight, the ones that were available were an array of solemn faces. She had chosen a more recent image captured at the Senate while he listened to post Geonosis debating.

She had spent another hour in makeup. Not since the story that had grabbed her the anchor desk; the death of Anoo-Dat terrorist General Khorda, at the hands of the Jedi, had she had such a big exclusive. They had been third to the attempted assassination of Padme Amidala, second to Geonosis. _Not this time_ she thought as she settled into her form fitting chair behind the RHN news desk. Her Vurk co-anchor, Fanus Kain, sat down beside her and gave a curt nod. No doubt he was as jealous as every other news anchor would be in minutes.

The Jabiim story had went from a fairly minor newsflash concerning yet another front in the war, to the biggest story of the year. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been the most famous Jedi not on the Council since Naboo. His death would shock and sadden Republic citizens, not to mention keep them glued to their holo-sets for the next twenty-four standard hours. But Mira wasn't all business. The news had shocked and saddened her as well. Like the vast majority of Core citizens, she had a rooting interest in this war. And the death of a Jedi like Obi-Wan Kenobi would seriously hamper the Republic war effort.

She was getting the last strands of her bangs combed to the side when Bolla stepped in front of the lights and waved her to him.

"What is it Bolla? I'm about to go live" she snapped, shooing the stylist away from her eyeline.

"Not with that story your not" the Rodian shook his head.

"What?!" Now she was out of her chair and moving towards her editor with bad intentions.

Bolla held up his hands in a supplicating gesture. "Don't blame me Mira, talk to them" he pointed one suctioned cupped finger towards his office.

Inside Mira saw a human and a Miralian in the blue uniforms of the Judicial Department.

Mira burst into the office with all the fearlessness and confidence that had won her one of the most coveted roles in her field. "What the blast do you think you're doing!?"

The Miralian was already holding out her hands in a calming gesture. "Miss Lendix we are here to ask for your cooperation with the war effort".

Still hot Mira resented what she thought was the implication she hadn't been cooperating with the war effort. "Have you read the 1st Amelioration?!"

"This isn't a constitutional issue Mira" her editor said from behind her, having snuck into the office while Mira was yelling. "They are asking us, in the name of patriotism" the Rodian finished.

"How is that patriotic?" Mira asked in a normal voice for the first time. "How are we servicing the war effort by hiding the severity of the threat we face?" she continued, now thinking about the issues larger than her losing a 'scoop'.

"All your points are valid Miss Lendix, but there are factors in play that you are not considering" the human Judicial said with a little less diplomacy than his partner.

"Like what?" she sighed with arms splayed before her. "Help me understand" she added into the silence.

"I'm afraid we can't miss. Trust that I understand and sympathize with your consternation but all I can say is that public perception is the fuel this war is fought on…and your story could act as a vibro-blade in the fuel tank" the Miralian said, taking over for her less tactful partner.

"How can censoring the news make the citizenry anything other than apathetic?"

"At this point we would prefer apathy" the human remarked out of the side of his mouth, drawing a withering look from his partner.

"to what? Hostility?"

Neither Judicial said anything.

"Forgive me for saying so, but I believe your lack of faith in the public is what is truly unpatriotic" Mira added, crossing her arms across her chest in disgust.

"I can't say I completely disagree with your assessment, but unfortunately the stakes are too high for faith" the green skinned humanoid added without making eye contact.

"And they're stakes that are too high for us" Bolla added walking around in front of Mira. "I'm ordering you to shelve the Jabiim story".

Mire clicked her jaw and stared at the ceiling. "Mira?...Mira!?" her editor snapped.

Mira finally brought her eyes back down to the Rodians's level and gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. But Bolla knew Mira well enough to take what he could get. He turned around to thank the Judicials for coming by and showed them to the door.

The Miralian stopped in front of Mira and said "I understand your frustration and I just hope we can work together in the near future".

Mira flashed a polite smile but left the bureaucrats hand unshaken.

"In sporting news the Republican Chin-Bret club from the Senatorial District bested the Brigadiers from CoCo 7-3 at the T'Chuk Arena in front of a record crowd of five hundred and three thousand, to capture their third straight league title" Mira's co-anchor finished saying.

She was lost in thought and didn't hear his report but knew that he was done. She looked at the words on the holo-prompter that started _from all of us at,_ and she made up her mind. "Finally, some breaking news, it appears Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi is being reported Missing in Action on the planet Jabiim whe-"

She saw the lights go out on the holo-recorder a moment before she heard "Mirrrraaaaaa!" in a nasally Rodian voice.

"How long are you suspended for?" the Mira's best friend, Luxi Adawalli, asked through the screen.

"Two weeks, but there will be a board hearing before any reinstatement".

"So…was it worth it?" she asked with a wince.

"Three days in and with nor further word from my contact I would have to say that is a big, fat, no" Mira answered with a sigh and took another long sip from her wine glass.

"What do you think happened?"

"Who knows. The last I heard from him he said the storms were so bad it was preventing anything from getting offworld."

"So what are you gonna do?" she asked as a Zabraki man appeared over Luxi's shoulder and said something to the effect of "take his wife to bed". She playfully slapped him away and turned back to the screen.

"Hi Zav" she said to her faux brother-in-law before turning her eyes back to Luxi, "I don't know, probably mope around the apartment for another week and then go grovel for my job."

Despite her initial protestations it was clear that Zav was starting to win out over Mira and Luxi turned back to the screen. "That's what I want you to do, but if you did you wouldn't be you".

Zav had given up pulling her away and now sweeped up her legs in his muscled arms. "Wait! Luxi! What are you saying!?"

"Go Mira! Go find your story!" was all she heard as the couple turned the corner into their bedroom.

Mira terminated the screen and sat thinking. She would sit thinking for another two hours before she had a plan of action.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The first item to take care was booking a charter. To do that she would need to find someone crazy enough to brave the war's frontlines as well as the piracy that plagued the back channels. For this there was only one place to go; the Twirling Twi'lek in Crimson Corridor district of CoCo's undercity.

The Twirl was a landmark establishment in this part of Galactic City. Purportedly founded by the famous smuggler Pax Perlemian, whose name was also attached to the most recently discovered major hyperspace lane in the Slice. So in a sense it was a club by ruffians for ruffians.

She had a small Merr-Sonn XT-22 holdout blaster her father had given her a few birthdays prior in the back of her waistband, concealed her leather jacket. Despite being the scion of a family of wealthy Works industrialists, Mira's years as an investigative journalist before moving to reporting had honed her blending skills.

She entered the open doorway under the holographic movements of a voluptuous Twi'lek 'twirling' around a dancer's pole. The interior was not far removed from the displays outside. A central wrap around bar dominated the center of the establishment while small, lit, platforms with a single pole connected to the ceiling dominated the floor. Each had a ring of chairs surrounding a shapely Twi'lek moving seductively around and against the pole.

True to it's name the Twirl employed only Twi'lek females. They took turns between dancing, waitressing, and bartending. In accordance with Republic law, all were free and made a good living. How many of them were saving for a different future was another matter. The smell of illegal Ryll Spice was accompanied by a hazed look in the eyes of most of the dancers and patrons.

The bartender that came to Mira was a green skinned Rutian Twi'lek with a white headband and matching skin tight outfit that showed as much of her cleavage as possible.

"Get you something to drink doll?" she said with her most seductive smile.

"Yeah I'll take a Blue Abregado and some information".

Mira had hoped ordering some spirit from the top shelf would make her more pliable and she had guessed correctly.

"Straight up?" she asked raising an eye.

"Straight up".

A moment later she threw back the strong but smooth Esselian liquor without so much as a grimace. Holding liquor had been a key part of her investigate journalism training.

"So what kind of information you looking for hon?"

"I was hoping you could point me to a captain who would be willing to brave a dangerous route".

The pretty Twi'lek barked a laugh that betrayed her façade of cool seduction. "The way you said it I thought you meant some prized information".

Mira flashed an aww shucks smile and shrugged. "I kinda thought I was".

"Sweetheart, nearly every captain in here competes for dangerous charters. The day they stop is the day they run out of things to talk about…and the more time they would spend bugging me" she said the last part under her breath as she ran a couple of empty glasses through the sonic washer.

With that revelation Mira perused her options. With the bartenders comments about flirtatious captains fresh in her mind Mira settled on an Aqualish and a Gotal playing dejarik on one of the non-dancing tables along a wall. They had settled on a reasonable price and agreed to meet the following morning in Bay 12 of Traddix Memorial Spaceport, a small spaceport that catered only to personal ships. That left just one piece of business before Mira was ready.

Halikon was the largest retailer of droids in the Core. Their market share enabled them to price droids lower than anyone, but even that didn't keep Mira from the sticker shock that came with her purchase of a CA-1174 Viper Probe Droid. It was at times like these she praised her family rather than curse them. With expensive hardware in a case around her torso, she made her way to Traddix Spaceport and her rendezvous with the mother of all scoops.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

the Gotal named Letlac Klog was the captain of the _Bollin's Fortune,_ a Ghtroc 690, and was currently berating his aqualish first mate, Wol Sido, for his slow computation of the needed hyperspace route. She didn't understand the guttural aqualish language but it sounded to her as if Sido was refuting Klog's claim that he didn't know his tusks from his legs. As Sido slapped Klog's fingers away from his face Mira buried her face in her hands and seriously considered paying them to turn around before this went any further.

Two days later she would be glad she hadn't. They came out of hyperspace in the Phellem Sector of the Outer Rim, having only seen a Republic corvette that made a less than insistent inquiry into their business before allowing them to jump out of the Inner Rim.

The Jabiim System was located near the heart of the Phellem Sector and after a short half day jump into that hear they ran into their first real trouble. Unlike the last time there was no conversation.

"Fierfek!" the gotal cursed.

"What?! Who are they!?" Mira yelled, a little more panicky then she had intended.

Klog shrugged before Wol Sido barked something.

"What did he say?"

"they're pirates…Reeno Kereevi's fleet apparently".

"Well can we talk to them? Tell them we don't have anything they want?"

Sido rumbled again with a shrug.

"Stang it! What'd he say?!" she had left her jump seat now and was hovering between the two smugglers.

The captain gave her a sheepish shrug. "he says we do have something they want".

Mira looked around dramatically. "What!?"

Sido pointed a black furry finger at the two of them and then himself. Mira took his meaning before Klog confirmed. "they're slavers…they want us".

"What can I do?" Mira asked, her stomach tying into knots that made her feel like she needed to use the fresher.

"Sit down and strap in" Klog snapped as Sido grunted.

"Anywhere Wol…plot anything outside the gravity well of a star or an asteroid field".

The Gotal captain then did the one thing Mira was expecting him not to do; turn the ship towards the motley fleet of gunships.

"What are you doing!?" Mira yelled, fully aware of the annoyance she must be at this moment.

"Not showing them our hyperdrive" Klog answered through gritted teeth.

The first shot hit the bow just below the viewscreen and rippled the shields, shaking the small freighter to the point Mira thought her seat would rip out of the floor.

The second shot to hit sent a shower of sparks down across their heads and a plume of smoke out of a vent.

"Got it?" Klog asked in a voice far too calm for their situation. Wol barked as the pilot jerked the freighter above another cannon blast that was still close enough to casuse a wave of tremors to cascade across the ship.

Another glancing blow pitched the cockpit into darkness ave a red light.

"Shields gone!" Klog yelled, his earlier poise shattered by the last blast. "Got it?"

Wol barked, punching a fist into the air and Letlac pulled the lever that sent the stars into a tunnel of light just as a red cannon blast passed through the place in spacetime the _Bollin's Fortune_ had been just a moment earlier.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The first two jumps had taken them to the Taskeed System and then Denogra before the hyperdrive died with an audible thrum.

The only piece of good news was Wol's confirmation that he could fix it with the parts they had on board.

"Will they come looking for us?" Mira asked, a cup of whiskey clutched firmly in both hands.

"not for three slaves"

"If they wanted us alive why were they trying to destroy the ship"

"good question. Maybe with our shields gone they were hoping we would send a message of surrender…but they sure weren't giving us a lot of time".

A light lunch and a nap later she came back into the cockpit to a terrestrial planet shrouded in stormclouds punctuated by bright flashes of lightning.

To their surpise there was no one else in orbit. No Republic capital ships and no Confederate ships from any of the conglomerate navies at their disposal.

Klog echoed her own thoughts. "Looks like we got the place to ourselves…you sure there's a battle going on here?"

Mira's heart sank at the thought. Could it be over? Could she have wasted all this time and money just to miss the story?

"I guess we'll find out. Get me above the northern hemisphere…there" she said pointing to the starward side of the planet.

"Can do. But are you sure that probe can get through those storms? I wouldn't chance a landing".

"that's just it Letlac. This baby doesn't need to land" she answered with a smile as she opened the duraplast case housing the expensive piece of hardware.

A half hour later they had launch, and the three watched the preprogrammed probe disappear beneath the black churn of Jabiim's lower atmosphere. A half hour after that they were getting their first images of Republic forces.

Not once over the next 3 days did Letlac or Wido ask to go, or even hint at having a schedule to keep. The three were enthralled by the images being fed to them by the probe. A squad of young looking Jedi, whom Mira realized must've been the masterless Padawans her contact spoke of, were holding off a far larger force of Jabiimi separatists while clones and Jabiimi loyalists gathered on a mesa a few kilometers behind the last stand. They watched in near silence as one by one the young Jedi fell over their three day suicidal defense. The last images they received were of a young female Jedi falling dead on top of the Jabiimi Sep leader, both her lightsabers plunging through his chest. Just as Mira sent commands for the probe to head back to the mesa three Republic capital ships jumped into the system behind them.

"Alright that's our cue" Letlac said powering up the _Fortune._

"Wait Letlac! Wait for the probe. It's the entire reason I came here".

The gotal groaned but didn't activate his sublights. Instead he looked to Wol. "Get a jump calculated now".

Seconds later their shipboard comm burst with the static of an emergency intrusion. "Civilian freighter, this is entire sector is a no-fly zone, what are you doing here?"

Mira bit her lip as she watched the probe break through the stratosphere below.

"Mira what do you want me to say?" Klog asked turning in his seat.

"How should I know? You're the smuggler".

"Stang!" he depressed the comm. "Republic vessel this is the civilian freighter _Bollin's Fortune_ based out of Kafrene. We just refitted the hyperdrive and were giving it a test run. Didn't know we passed into a quarantined sector".

"Not bad I guess" Mira stated, standing up and walking to the portal linked to the maintenance hatch. The probe entered a moment later and settled next to the _Fortune's_ micro-patcher.

"All right we-"

"Civilian freighter please shut off sublight engines and prepare to be boarded" the temperamental comms officer announced, cutting off Mira.

"Wol you got it!?" Mira yelled, dropping all pretenses of calm. She honestly couldn't say if the thought of getting this story taken from her scared her more than the slavers.

The aqualish gave an all clear signal and Klog fired up the sublight before pulling back the hyperdrive. The stars elongated as Mira was thrown forward and the _Fortune_ creaked and groaned like someone dying from a blaster bolt to the gut.

The effect of their already patched up hyperdrive jumping away from the probing grip of a capital size thruster was enough to melt it to slag. After uttering every curse Mira knew, and a few she didn't, Letlac calmed down a bit when she told him she would reimburse him for the repair costs. Even with her small family fortune a hyperdrive would set her back a bit. _So no dinners at the Galatina for month or two, small sacrifice compared to this story._ A story that may be on hold for a bit if they couldn't get out of here. They were a few thousand light years from the mid-sized Triallus Trade Route, so hopefully someone would pick up their distress beacon.

It took thirty-six hours but they finally got a ping back. It couldn't have come any sooner for Mira who was growing tired of the pilots constant bickering and the grimey feeling that came from a non-functioning sonic shower. Mira joined her tow companions on the bridge to see their savior arrive. The ship's jumped in which set off Mira's danger sense. The blunt staff-like bridge of the lead ship confirmed her worst fears. She was running to the comm relay in the stern of the ship as Letlac yelled, "it's Kerevi!"

She had no idea where it would go as they had dropped no comm buoy of their own, but if she could just get this out into the ether before….

The yelling and sounds of blaster fire began as she searched frantically for any relay station. Finding none she copied the file and ran to the mechanical hatch. Thoughts of the family she never truly made amends with flashed through her mind as she nervously fiddled with the probe, plugging the copied disc into one of it drives she ran for the manual bio-mechanic hatch at the floor in the middle of the small cargo bay. _Strange what you think of when you're about to die, but if I wasn't about to die I would have never been able to open that hatch._ She had no time to program the droid other than to put it into escape and evade mode before dropping it through the small magnetic screen at the base of the hatch. As she closed the hatch a Weequay pirate entered the cargo bay with a gotal she fleetingly thought might be Letlac about to tell her this was all a bad joke. But the gotal's sneering expression told her Letlac was dead, along with Wol, and soon along with her. As she picked up a servo-wrench and ran at the two pirates she wasn't thinking anymore, just feeling, and then even that was gone a moment later.

 **Will post an epilogue this weekend**


	5. Chapter 5

**Epilogue**

"Supreme Chancellor, Senator Organa has arrived for his scheduled appointment concerning the new security act". The Vice Chair of the Galactic Republic, Mas Amedda, stepped to the side of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's desk in his public office at the apex of the Senate.

"Ah…I had forgotten. Well, ignorance was bliss". Palpatine, alone with the Chagrian, was able to openly show his disdain for the Alderanian do-gooder.

Amedda turned to head back to the office portico. "And the other matter?" the Dark Lord of the Sith called lightly to his back.

"Taken care of my lord. The problem has been moved to a busy space lane near the Rimma Trade Route with pieces of the ship she had been traveling in. once found we are ready to guide the Judicial Department to her killers" Amedda said in hushed tones that spoke more to his competence rather than any fear of being overheard.

Palpatine drummed his fingers lightly. "Very good". He no longer needed to ask Amedda if there was any chance Reenu Kerevi could be connected back to him. He knew the answer.

"Shall I show in the Senator" the horned alien said with a flourish of his arm towards the waiting room.

"By all means" Palpatine said standing and adjusting his tunic slightly.

The door opened with a _whoosh_ and the tall, dark leader of the diplomacy delegation entered, cloak swirling behind him. "Senator Organa" the Supreme Chancellor cried with lightness and enthusiasm that Organa would never suspect were anything but genuine.

 **1 week later**

"We would like to begin tonight with a piece of news that is tragically close to home. Beloved RHN reporter and anchor Mira Lendix was found dead in the Mytaranor Sector. Judicial Department investigation is still ongoing but they have authorized us to report that Mira appeared to have been targeted by slavers who fired on her chartered ship after fleeing. According to a longtime friend Mira died doing what she loved; chasing a story. And while we may never know what this particular story was, we know with Mira on the trail it would not have stayed hidden long. She will be sorely missed. On to the Clone Wars; the Republic Defense Command is claiming victory at Argonar, and the Supreme Chancellor is due to visit the front line in the coming weeks…"


End file.
